PACT Nurse LPN

Vinfen•Lawrence, MA

1d•$38 - $38

About The Position

The PACT Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) is a member of the Program for Assertive Treatment (PACT) multidisciplinary team responsible for providing comprehensive community based care to adults with serious mental illness in addition to behavioral health and complex medical needs. The PACT LPN is responsible for conducting psychiatric assessments, assessing physical health needs, making appropriate referrals to community physicians, providing management and administration of medication under the supervision of the Lead Nurse, providing a range of treatment, rehabilitation, and support services, and sharing shift-management responsibility with other staff. The LPN will also be responsible for: Providing case management for an assigned group of persons served, including coordinating and monitoring the activities of the individual treatment team (ITT); assume primary responsibility for developing, writing, implementing, evaluating, and revising overall treatment goals and plans in conjunction with the ITT, providing individual supportive therapy and symptom management, ensuring immediate changes are made in the Individual Action Plan (IAP) as persons served needs change, educating and supporting persons served families, and advocating for persons served rights and preferences. Conducting a comprehensive assessment of psychiatric history (e.g., onset, course and effect of illness, past treatment and responses, and risk behaviors), mental status, and diagnosis; physical health and dental health; use of drugs or alcohol; education and employment; social development and functioning activities of daily living (e.g., self-care, living situation, nutrition, money management); and family structure and relationships. Consulting with community agencies and families to maintain coordination in the treatment process. Documenting persons served progress to maintain a permanent record of persons served activity according to established methods and procedures. Perorming other duties as assigned

Requirements

Two years' experience in a mental health setting.
License Practical Nurse (LPN) License in Massachusetts required.
A high school diploma or equivalent is required; bachelors degree preferred.
Must be able to become CPR required within two weeks of hire. Must also be able to complete additional training within defined timeframe.
Must be able to successfully pass a CORI, SORI, reference check, employment verification, education check and credentialing check.
Sensitivity to cultural, religious, racial, disability, and gender issues
Knowledge and use of advocacy techniques
Knowledge and use of different communication styles
Skills and competence to establish supportive trusting relationships with program persons served.
Respect for persons served rights and personal preferences in treatment.
Knowledge of human, legal, civil rights, community, and other resources
Skills and competence in the use of formal and informal assessment tools and practices
Ability to work independently as well as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
Skills and competence to use crisis intervention techniques.
Strong commitment to the rights and ability of program person served to live, work, and seek support as the general population at large.
Knowledge of therapy and teaching modalities
Clinical skills
Two years’ experience in a mental health setting.
License Practical Nurse (LPN) License in state of service required.
A high school diploma or equivalent is required; Bachelor’s degree preferred.
Driving is a requirement for this position using either a Vinfen van or personal vehicle. If using a personal vehicle, you must possess and maintain adequate insurance as well as maintain a safe driving record which is subject to annual checks. A valid driver’s license must be presented at the time of employment. Incumbents must be at least 21 years of age, have maintained a valid US driver’s license for at least one year, and must be able to pass a driver’s screening background check.
Ability to stand, walk, bend, kneel, stoop, crouch, crawl, climb as this is a very physically active position. Must be able to lift at least 25 pounds using proper lifting techniques or the use of a two-person lift. Ability to operate a computer and other office equipment such as a calculator, copier, and printer. Ability to sit, reach, climb stairs, and maneuver through narrow spaces or hallways. Ability to assist person served with tasks of daily living. Ability to remain in a stationary position 50% of the time as needed. Ability to bend, reach, file, sit, stand, and move around the facility. Ability to speak, hear, and communicate with person served, staff, and external representatives. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.
For positions in day programs or group residences, the ability to assist in routine living activities including cleaning, meal preparation, vacuuming, shoveling, and grocery shopping.

Responsibilities

Provide case management for an assigned group of persons served, including coordinating and monitoring the activities of the individual treatment team (ITT); assume primary responsibility for developing, writing, implementing, evaluating, and revising overall treatment goals and plans in conjunction with the ITT, providing individual supportive therapy and symptom management, ensuring immediate changes are made in the Individual Action Plan (IAP) as persons served needs change, educating and supporting persons served families, and advocating for persons served rights and preferences.
Conduct a comprehensive assessment of psychiatric history (e.g., onset, course and effect of illness, past treatment and responses, and risk behaviors), mental status, and diagnosis ;physical health and dental health; use of drugs or alcohol; education and employment; social development and functioning activities of daily living (e.g., self-care, living situation, nutrition, money management); and family structure and relationships.
Consult with community agencies and families to maintain coordination in the treatment process.
Document persons served progress to maintain a permanent record of persons served activity according to established methods and procedures.
Participate in daily staff organizational meetings and treatment planning review meetings.
Participate in providing medication administration and medical services under the supervision of the lead nurse.
Under the direction of the lead nurse and in collaboration with the other nurses on the team, develop, revise, maintain, and supervise team psychopharmacologic and medical treatment and medication policies and procedures; including transcribing, administering, evaluating, and recording psychotropic medications prescribed by the team psychiatrist; evaluate and chart psychotropic medication effectiveness, complications, and side effects; and arrange for required lab work according to protocol.
Under the direction of the lead nurse and in collaboration with the other nurses on the team, organize and manage the system of getting medication to persons served and integrating medication administration tightly into persons served IAP, as appropriate.
Under the direction of the lead nurse and in collaboration with the other nurses on the team, manage pharmaceuticals and medical supplies.
In collaboration with the lead nurse, coordinate, schedule, and administer medical assessments of persons served physical health, making appropriate referrals to community physicians for further assessment and treatment, and coordinate psychiatric treatment with medical treatment.
Participate in treatment, rehabilitation, and support services.
Perform other related duties, as required.
Provide ongoing assessment of persons served mental illness symptoms and persons served response to treatment. Make appropriate changes in the IAP to ensure immediate and appropriate interventions are provided in response to changes in mental status or behavior which put persons served at risk.
Provide symptom education to enable persons served to identify their mental illness symptoms.
Provide direct clinical services, including individual support therapy and psychotherapy, to persons served on an individual, group, and family basis in the office and in community settings to teach behavioral symptom-management techniques to alleviate and manage symptoms not reduced with medication and to promote personal growth and development by assisting person served to cope with internal /external stresses.
Provide individual and group treatment in the office and in community settings in a stage-based treatment model that is non-confrontational, considers interactions of mental illness and substance abuse, and has persons served-determined goals.
Coordinate with outside inpatient services to detoxify persons served and establish linkage to outpatient treatment, self-help programs, outpatient services, and residential facilities.
Take a lead role or participate in the provision of rehabilitation services.
Provide individual vocational-supportive counseling to enable persons served to identify vocational strengths and problems, establish vocational or career goals and plans to reach them, and recognize and target symptoms of mental illness that interfere with work.
Plan and provide work-related supportive services, such as assistance with grooming and personal hygiene, securing appropriate clothing, wake-up calls, and transportation.
Teach job-seeking skills.
Provide ongoing assessment, problem solving, side-by-side services, skill training, supervision, and environmental adaptations to assist persons served with activities of daily living.
Assist persons served to find and maintain a safe and affordable place to live.
Assist and support persons served to carry out personal hygiene and grooming tasks.
Provide nutrition education and assistance with meal planning, grocery shopping, and food preparation.
Assist and support persons served to perform household activities, including house cleaning and laundry.
Ensure that persons served have adequate financial support.
Teach money-management skills.
Help persons served to access reliable transportation.
Assist and support persons served to have and effectively use a personal primary care physician, dentist, and other medical specialists as required.
Provide individual supportive therapy, social skill development, and assertiveness training to increase persons served social and interpersonal activities in community settings.
Plan, structure, and prompt social and leisure-time activities on evenings, weekends, and holidays.
Provide side-by-side support and coaching to help persons served socialize.
Provide practical help and supports, advocacy, coordination, side-by-side individualized support, problem solving, direct assistance, training, and supervision to help persons served obtain the necessities of daily living including medical and dental health care; legal and advocacy services; financial support such as entitlements or housing subsidies; money management services; and transportation.